Understanding Increases in Late Vote-by-Mail Ballots in California

California has long encouraged voting by mail, and the state allows counties to count ballots postmarked by Election Day if they arrive within seven days. Recent US Postal Service changes may be putting more ballots at risk of rejection—especially in places where evening mail pickup has been eliminated. Only a small number of ballots are rejected because they arrive too late—but recent increases in rejection rates have been large by historical standards, raising questions about whose ballots are rejected and whether the USPS changes are driving the number up.